BENGALURU: The counsel of Richa Saxena, wife of IAS Officer Kapil Mohan, said the Lokayukta court has issued the search warrant “mechanically” even before registering the FIR under the Prevention of Corruption against the couple in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.
The senior counsel made this submission before Justice Rathnakala, who is hearing the petitions filed by Principal Secretary Kapil Mohan, Department Youth and Sports Affairs and his wife Richa Saxena, a Government Medical Officer, challenging the proceedings initiated by the Lokayukta police against them.
The counsel argued that the Lokayukta police have taken action in haste, at the behest of “somebody”. The Lokayukta police generated the source report on September 15, 2015, after Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee wrote to them to look into the DA case on September 11, 2015.
Based on the source report, the Lokayukta Court issued six search warrants on September 15, 2015, before registering the FIR on September 18, 2015.
Issue of warrants before knowing the contents of the FIR submitted in a sealed cover to the Lokayukta court is not fair, he said. In response, Lokayukta Special Public Prosecutor Venkatesh P Dalwai said Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee had written to the Lokayukta police to investigate the case based on the report submitted by the CID and IT officials after raiding the flat owned by the Kapil Mohan’s father in Yeshwanthpur.
Notices to Govt, KPSC on Malpractice
The High Court on Thursday issued notices to the state government and the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) on a public interest litigation over examination malpractices conducted by the latter.
The examination was conducted in October to fill the vacant clerical posts in various departments across the state.
Hearing the petition filed by Chandraiah, a social worker from Tumakuru district and others, a division bench of officiating Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice B Manohar said any action by the KPSC on the examination is subjected to the result of this writ petition.
This was in response to the interim prayer that direction be issued to KPSC not to announce the results of the examination and submit a report of enquiry on the leak of key answers and question paper of General Knowledge examination held on October 4, 2015.
The petitioners have also sought directions to KPSC to hold the re-examination for the posts of the Assistant/First Division Assistant and Junior Assistant/Second Division Assistant pursuant to the notification dated June 30, 2015, by suspending the earlier examination conducted on October 3, 4 and 18, 2015.